Metal Gear: Son of Snake
by George Aldersson
Summary: 2030. Solid Snake, the now Legendary soldier of the 21st Century, is lost to the world. The planet is once again tilting ever closer to a new era of war, and the world needs someone to turn to. From shadows of a remote corner of the Earth, a new hero will rise. An unbaptised hero with history, with heritage and with honour. He just doesn't quite know it all yet.
1. Chapter 1

Metal Gear: Son of Snake

Chapter 1

Year: 2030

Alaska, US.

The sound of fresh and glistening white snow crunching under foot would never get old to John. It seemed so natural, so unadulterated. A simple pleasure in a world where everything was becoming so complicated. This was the life. Well, as much as one could strive for in the current climates. The world had seen many natural disasters and disease, but none more devastating to a generation of people like war.

It is a certain irony that as the world enters a new phase of war - the likes of which have not been seen for many years – that, John was in (in his opinion) one in of the coldest and most remote parts of the world. And this was just how liked it. Or was it? He couldn't help that underlying feeling, that almost feral instinct, that he had a certain responsibility to help somehow, or at least _try _and help. And by being this far away from everything was making him subconsciously unnerved. After all, it was in his cold loving blood. Snakes don't run.

Sunrise in Alaska is something that must be witnessed. A glorious array of sunlight stretching and flexing its mighty shafts of light over the fresh sea of white. The shadows are cast long and the sled dogs yawn with the knowledge that a new day is dawning. John was already up, as he always was when he couldn't sleep, working in the yard and on this particular occasion, chopping firewood. It helped steady his thoughts, a release from the world by reverting back to the primitive.

Jessie was sleeping indoors. She wouldn't notice he was gone for at least another hour or so. John thought that no matter what might happen; that he was lucky. He had a good life here. But is that the same as a purpose, was he meant for more? The thought had done more laps in his head than an Olympic swimmer. His thoughts were interrupted by a sharp, unnatural and artificial sound. The phone. The harsh rings rattled through his head and forced him to grit his teeth, it was his one connection to the civilised world. It would either wake Jessie up and she'd answer, or he would miss it. The sound eventually reverted back to the singing morning, the symphony of silence. Jessie came out, still half asleep and in make shift outdoor wear, clutching the receiver in one hand.

"John" she called out "it's for you, someone named Meryl"…

Shivers ran down his spine like a drop of ice-cold water, and it wasn't from the cold. He knew this day was coming, but like some things inevitable, it still came as a shock. Meryl. A name from the past. A name that he had hoped would stay in the past.

"_Meryl?"_ John asked quietly and sharply.

"Yes Meryl now are you going to answer?" Jessie said impatiently, not knowing the full extent of what this name means.

John heard a bird cry in the distance. He looked up puzzled, but all he could see was the morning sunlight as he put his hand up to shield his eyes. He swore it was the crow of a _Corvus Corax, _the **Raven. **This moment seemed to last a lifetime, everything around him slowed to just a fraction of its normal speed. He eventually picked up the receiver as Jessie turned and walked back into the warmth of the cabin. Without even saying a word a lady's voice shattered the silence, cold and efficient.

"John." The voice said bluntly. "There's no time. They're on their way."

Meryl. John had learnt the history surrounding the name a little while ago. She was the one who had divulged more of his own 'history'. She was the new commander of Foxhound, a spec ops military unit, like her father before her. This unit was responsible for both saving the world, and conspiring against it. Men and women of Legend. Almost mythical, like the battles of Gods in Roman times or ancient Greece. Meryl had seen and been through a lot… and she knew John's father. Without saying a word, John pressed the button on the handset to end the call. Nothing more needed to be said. He turned toward the house but then looked back at his chopping block where he previously stood. _Guess it'll have to wait _he thought to himself sarcastically. Nothing lasts forever, not even peace. He continued toward the log cabin where his partner awaited, and knew that it would be a while until he saw her again. _If _he saw her again. The cabin grew larger; the shadows that were once innocent had now taken on a more ominous appearance, engulfing John as he walked. He approached the threshold and with a deep breath of free air, he stepped inside the open doorway, through the darkness and into his destiny.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

A short time later, a darkened room in an unknown location…

"I'm sorry it had to be that way John. Unfortunately we didn't have time for milk and cookies." Meryl said half-heartedly.

"Little rough round the edges, but nothing I can't handle." John quipped back.

"Glad to hear it."

Meryl liked John, but she couldn't let that get in the way of her professionalism. She couldn't compromise her position of authority here, too much was at stake and this wasn't the time for reminiscing. But he reminded her of man she knew, a flawed man, but the best man she ever knew. He was the spitting image of him. Well he _would _be, she thought to herself.

"What's going on here?!" demanded John. It was a question that Meryl often asked herself. After the demise of the Patriots all those years ago, the world at large returned to relative normality with little or no interruption to their daily lives. Only a few really knew the truth, and even then some of the details remained blurred at the seams. What was certain is that it marked the end of an era of super soldier, one man armies. But she had a feeling that was about to change.

Walking away from John she paused and sighed deeply. "John the world is a scary place right now. The Chinese have steadily built their power and economy over the years and no-one has been able to slow it." Then spinning on her heels she turned to face him again. "They have now become the new Soviet Union of old. We have reason to believe they have their hands of a new kind of tech that could be a game changer. And what with the powder keg of the Middle East about to blow at any minute and rumours that China is supplying weapons, time has run out. We can't let this thing be tested."

"So why _me_?" John cut straight to the chase.

"You have certain _qualities_ that are desirable in this kind of situation John….and we have to use a codename from now on."

_What's wrong with John?_ He asked rhetorically and under his breath. "Meryl, about my _history, _my genes, I…"

"John, not now. There's no time. I brought you here to brief you on this mission. The time will come for _that _discussion. Now is **not **that time. We are in a new cold war. The President and Chinese officials are meeting as we speak. They're running out of nice things to say to each other. This mission comes direct from the Pentagon."

She moved to a nearby desk, which was dimly lit by a table top lamp. After sifting through some files, she pulled a single sheet of paper out and held it in front of her, remaining silent. The paper she was examining was a list of agents under her direct command, and their corresponding codenames.

"In my time as Commander of Foxhound, I've made a few changes. The codename system is one of them. I've chosen a name for you that I think will suit you, it's a little unorthodox to christen you this early but it seems fitting. For now on you shall be called….**Fox Snake**."


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

In a transport plane over International Waters, North Pacific Ocean

"So Snake, let's go over this one last time" Shouted Meryl over the roar of the plane's engines. "We're going to drop you in just off the coast of _Taiwan_, to help avoid detection. From there you'll find an IUP (_Individual Underwater Propeller) _which you can use to complete your journey to the offshore platform which we believe houses the new _Metal Gear, _codenamed _Zeus._"

_Metal Gear. _The very mention of the name sent shivers down Snake's spine. He had never before seen one of these technical marvels, save for images on the internet and in the news. There was so much…history, with these giant walking tanks.

"So Snake, we need you to infiltrate the platform which is disguised as a Chinese oil rig and determine if they have the launch capability to strike with nukes. Use any means necessary, but be careful to avoid detection. Rescue any hostages and gather as much evidence as you can, but remember do not let them test this thing!"

_No pressure then, _Snake thought sarcastically.

"You know the Foxhound _modus operandi_ Snake, this is a solo sneaking mission, however you will have full support via Codec as usual. Dr Emmerich, head of Foxhound R&D will be your technological expert on this mission, I suggest you utilise his full experience in dealing with Metal Gear."

Before this mission started, Dr Hal 'Otacon' Emmerich had said he knew Snake's father too. He hadn't said much more than that, but Snake knew that Otacon was a man whose past is steeped in trauma and regrets. The first time Snake met Otacon back before he took off for the mission, he thought the scientist looked haunted.

"The man responsible and in charge of this of this situation is ex-Chinese military General** Li**. This man is extremely dangerous in his beliefs and his connections. Do not underestimate him Snake."

The red light above the door of the plane lit up. "We're approaching the drop off point Ma'am" Shouted the pilot to Meryl.

Without saying anything, John stood up and walked calmly over to the door near the back of the plane, where another soldier was waiting to open the hatch and let the screaming wind in. John was going over everything in his head, replaying the briefing and the mission objectives. While he was in the middle of it all, Meryl called over one final time "John! Good luck."

The red light above the door had been replaced with a green light and the door opened. With one final deep breath, Snake clipped his breathing apparatus in and walked to the edge. Steadying himself, he did not look back. Not for the first time, a Snake jumped and fell into a world of awaiting danger.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

North of Taiwan, East China Sea

Snake hauled himself out of the freezing cold water and onto the bottom rung of a soaking metal ladder. The incursion had to be at night _Meryl _said, to avoid visible detection. She said he could handle it. It made it tougher sure, the ice cold black of the sea surrounding him, gripping every muscle and not letting go. But the latest survival tech saw to his successful infiltration of the offshore base, the wetsuit which would become his sneaking suit once upon dry land.

_Gotta get out of the water_ Snake thought to himself, _Snakes belong on land._ The waves were crashing into the solid girders and trying to throw his body around like a rag doll by an angry child. Snake gained a foothold and began to climb the ladder, mindful that no-one else was around. It seemed as though the ladder never ended, it was the longest ladder climb he'd ever been up…or was it? It felt like he was climbing into a different world, like how Jack must've felt when he climbed the beanstalk. Out of the water and into a world away from civilisation and away from the rules and regulations of treaties.

But still he climbed one hand over the other. One rung at a time. The lactic acid beginning to build up, but still he did not slow, too much was at stake. Snake allowed himself a moment to think of Jessie, where she was now, what she was doing.

"How's the suit working for you Snake?" Otacon burst through his ear unexpectedly. Snake nearly slipped at the interruption of static in his inner ear.

"Can you give me some warning the next time you're going to do that? Yeah, it's fine, little tighter than what I'm usually to, but it's keeping the water at bay" He grunted in response.

Snake reached the top of the world and peered cautiously over the edge. Two Chinese mercenaries were patrolling the deck. At first glance they looked ex-military, and were not to be reckoned with. It looked like a helipad, with dim lights surrounding the edges. Not many places to hide, but enough. Snake found the best available to him, and pressed his back firmly against a metal container. He took out his night vision goggles that were part of his infiltration kit, and began scanning. In the distance, he caught a glimpse of what looked like a fighter jet on a landing pad further away. He snapped a button on the side of his goggles, which took a digital photo instantly.

"Meryl, I'm sending you a photo." Snake said while putting his finger to his ear, activating the nano technology.

"Uploading now Snake. Looks like a Flanker-G. It's a Russian model given to the Chinese. That all but confirms General Li's involvement here. Stay alert."

"Got it". So the General _is_ here. Good chances that _Metal Gear _will be too.

Snake readied his tranquiliser gun that was the only weapon he was authorised to load out with, as the mission was classified as "sneaking" instead of "storm". But that said, if he 'acquired' additional weaponry in the field, well that's just good initiative. He took a deep breath to steady his aim, and peered round the side of the container. The silencer aimed at one of the mercs on the other side of the helipad, Snake squeezed the trigger and fired…


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Aboard the Off-shore Oil Rig

Acquiring that Level 2 key card was trickier than first anticipated…but not impossible. Hiding the body in the toilet cubicle nearby seemed like Snake's best option, he shouldn't be discovered for a least quite a few minutes, hours if he's really lucky or the security is particularly sloppy. Hopefully the overconfidence of the Chinese could work to Snake's favour; they clearly didn't think they would be infiltrated this way, on this floating fortress.

The platforms were connected by walkways high above the ocean, not much room for manoeuvre or hiding places. And to make matters worse, the metal paths made heavy footsteps seem like a beacon at every pace. Snake remembered what Foxhound Intel said, and followed the Struts along clockwise from the entrance point.

Snake had found out by overhearing conversations and scattered documents that a group of 5 ex-Chinese People's Liberation Army officers are running the operation. General **Li **is the leader of the cell. Hell bent on establishing China's world dominance and ending America's authority. They also consisted of Lieutenant **Lu**, Captain **La**, Major **Lo** and Colonel **Le**, together forming the group known as simply Zhéxuéjiā, **The Philosophers**. One of Snake's secondary objectives was to find out if these men had any connection to the fabled _Philosophers _of the previous century. It was a terrifying prospect. Snake had heard a lot about their legacy and the subsequent world events which had forged history in secret. Snake knew that the appearance of this group and the rumour of a new Metal Gear will mark a new era of covert politics and war, one which people like Meryl and Otacon had hoped they will never see again in their lifetime.

Snake hung over one of the railings whilst a sentry strolled by on the walkway. His grip was sure and confident, despite the bead of sweat forming on his forehead he looked in complete control. Once the sentry had passed a safe distance, he pulled himself up and hopped back over the railings effortlessly. He snuck up behind the guard carefully and purposefully. Snake did not know the word for "Freeze" in Chinese however even in English, when coupled with the sound of a loaded pistol with the safety off; Snake knew the merc would understand him. The guard stood still, and without turning around, slowly started to raise his hands in an offer of submissiveness.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

Snake hadn't found out a lot of intel regarding _The Philosophers _so far on his time on the rig...the only people that he had previously encountered were heavily armed men who presented certain danger around any given corner. The one thing that he had managed to find out was far more terrifying, to him anyway. _General Li_ is manufacturing a _Metal Gear_ that not only is armed with Nuclear launch capabilities much like its predecessors, but that the new model has a jet propulsion system, in other words…it can fly. So now _Metal Gear _really would be the ultimate mobile battle tank, and really could reach anywhere on the face of the planet. He'd never heard Meryl silent in shock before he called her via Codec with this piece of information. This whole off-shore oil rig is actually just a cover up for the launch site. _Metal Gear Zeus _huh?

"Snake. We have to stop this thing, we can't let Li launch a nuke!"

"Don't you think I know that Otacon! Now calm down." Snake growled.

"I'm sorry. It's just… I can't let this happen. Not now, not ever Snake. It's just like the last times. I thought we were over this." Otacon was clearly fighting back a tear Snake thought to himself.

"Don't worry, I won't let that happen. Now I need you to be calm, you're my support on this mission, if you go, I'm lost when it comes to facing that thing."

Snake sounded calm on the outside, but in the inside, he had absolutely no idea how to stop this thing, _if _he could stop it. But he couldn't let anyone know he was thinking that, they were counting on him. Snake concluded his conversation on the codec and came out from his hiding place behind some filing cabinets. He was in what passed as an office, a handful of papers which were meaningless after digital translation and a desk and computer, which he had already checked was encrypted. He went over to the door to make his way out and over to the next strut when he had the sudden feeling he was being watched. There were no cameras in the room, he had checked on the way in. Something didn't feel right. That's exactly when Snake heard the click of a gun come from across the other side of the room. _Dammit_ Snake thought to himself. Rookie mistake. It won't happen again.

"I expected more from a man with the codename of both **Fox **and **Snake**." Said a man with an East Asian accent.

"Expecting someone else huh? Sorry to disappoint." Snake hissed in reply.

"Well we just presumed that the Americans would send their… _best_"

"We?" Snake probed.

"You won't know who we are. We.. (raising his arms) are the **Philosophers**…The descendants of the _legacy."_

"The Philosophers are dead. Who are you? General Li?"

"My dear boy, am I not the General. I have the honour of being his Lieutenant"

Meryl burst into his ear via codec. "Snake, that's **Lu**, one of the General's men, and a member of the terrorist cell calling themselves the Philosophers. Get anything you can out of him, but be careful."

Snake frowned whilst gritting his teeth. He felt his gun in the holster to his right, so close. He steadied his breathing and before Lu could react, Snake dropped, rolled and readied his gun all in one swift, flowing movement. He faced Lu, on one knee with his gun pointing square between his eyes.

"Maybe you_ are_ worthy of the codenames they have given you, boy. But we'll see. The General will decide that." Lu said. Snake realised that he spoke of Li with a heroic like admiration.

Both men began to squeeze their triggers, slowly…


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

Snake was standing over _Lu_, the ex-lieutenant's body lay in a crumpled heap on the floor. Snake had his handgun trained on Lu's head, even as he lay gasping for breath.

"Tell me about the Philosophers! What does Li want? Answer me!" Snake ordered angrily.

"He…he….wants…to launch…_Zeus_…Kor…Ssssssnnnaaaaakkkeee….." Lu was clearly struggling, and fading fast.

"Y-y…you'll nev… (cough) never stop…him nooowwwww" Lu's mouth started to foam.

"Dammit!" Cyanide capsule. Snake let out his frustration, just as he overcome his adversary and started to get information out of him, it slipped through his fingers like sand on a beach.

_Meryl _burst through his ear, and he answered after a moment of looking at _Lu_.

"Snake, his last words…" She stopped as if in disbelief.

"Something about launching Metal Gear, and possibly an indication to Korea. Something with reigniting the Korean war, a plan to start a Nuclear chain reaction with the North Koreans?" Snake questioned himself.

"Hmmm. Could be…. Snake you need to find out more, what Li is up to, why Korea and if he does have capabilities to launch that nuke!" _Meryl _snapped back out of his inner ear.

After a short while, Snake started to make his way to the adjacent strut, he was cautiously making his way along the walkway. As soon as he had realised that there were no guards patrolling this particular area had the faint but constant whir of jet engines pierced his concentration. Snake swivelled on the spot to the face the direction he believed it was coming from. He could not see anything. But still, the whir was there. His instincts were not betraying him. He'd learnt long ago to trust his instincts in a combat situation. He took out his binoculars and sure enough, in the distance was what looked like the **Flanker G **jet that he'd seen earlier on the landing pad. Funny, Snake thought, not enough space for a landing strip here, maybe it had vertical take-off capabilities? Upgraded for Li's requirements no doubt. It looked like it was coming straight for him. Damn! Snake looked around frantically for cover, maybe the stairwell cover close by would allow him to at least get into somewhere and possibly even get off this level. Not even one of the general's men would be stupid enough to destroy their own base of operations, surely, _Snake thought to himself._ He ran to the stairwell and braced himself. The jet engines previous whir was soon replaced with an increasing roar and soon enough what sounded like Armageddon passed overhead and out of earshot. A flyby, a signal of intent. Snake knew that going out in the open from now on would be a dangerous game of cat and mouse, and he was most definitely a defenceless mouse….for now. All he had to do was find some….leverage. And Snake's best chance of this was a SAM (surface-to-air) missile.

Snake referred to his codec and Otacon for support. "Otacon, I need a SAM missile to swat…a fly. Do you know where the nearest one to my location would be?"

"Heh…Snake, you're so much like…_him_" Otacon said with a little smirk.

"Who?" Snake quipped back.

"Doesn't matter. Anyway I'm looking at the satellites and tracking your GPS signal…okay there should be a SAM launcher, it requires a little bit of a backtrack, but that's your best bet against that thing."

After a trip down the well-trodden paths and dodging the Flanker best he could, Snake finally reached the SAM launcher that Otacon told him about. No sooner did he start making his way over, did his codec ring back "Snake, I'm remotely accessing the controls from here…I'm activating the launcher! All you have to do now is point and fire."

With that, Snake rotated the launcher towards the sky and waited for the inevitable, the Flanker had shown itself again. This time it hesitated, and a booming voice echoed out across the base floating on the waters…

"SNAKE! THIS IS CAPTAIN LA! PREPARE TO MEET YOUR END! SNAKES DO NOT BELONG TO THIS FAR OUT TO SEA"

The jet's engines began to roar again and Snake gritted his teeth and prepared to fire….


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

"SSSSSSSSNAAAAAAAAKKKKKEE!"

Snake watched the burning wreckage descend into the sea taking the life of the former captain with it. No way could he survive that, he thought to himself.

Before Snake could turn around he was surrounded by the general's men. "Freeze!" Several guns were trained on Snake, there not being much he could do in this situation but to co-operate…for now.

"You have only come this far because of incompetence and failures, _**Pinyin**_. I can assure you, I will not make the same mistake"

"And who are you, the janitor?" Snake growled.

A sharp and swift blow struck Snake on the back of the head, and he realised as he started to black out that it was the butt of a rifle. As Snake's knees went weak and buckled, his world went dark.

Snake's eyes drearily opened, everything blurred as his pupils adjusted to the light. There was bright lights overhead, directly pointing down on him. This is where he realised that he was also laying down horizontally. He tried to move his arms instinctively, and again realised another significant point, his hands were chained to either side of the bed. Footsteps on the hard floor were getting louder, signalling that Snake was about to be put in the hot seat.

"I hope you slept well"

Snake's tried to control his breathing and lengthen his breaths.

"You have been quite a nuisance on your stay here so far, _**Pinyin**_. Here on the General's floating, _**Tian**_. He is impressed. Sadly for you, his admiration ends there. I am the Major, and you will go no further than me. Take him away." The Major motioned towards a guard.

"Wait! What do you plan on doing with Metal Gear?! How is Korea involved?!"

"_Pinyin…_ Snake" Lo said calmly and with no surprise as to how Snake knows this snippet of information "if the North Koreans think that the American's have launched a nuclear strike against them, they will not hesitate to retaliate. Only then, will America's world dominance end, as the rest of the world realise that they do not want to be policed by them anymore."

"What are you demands?" Snake grew uneasy after every passing second… a nuclear war? For what purpose, bragging rights?

"We do not want anything from the Americans. The world has had enough of your…_help._" Lo said sarcastically. "We have the **Legacy**. What is rightfully ours. And **Metal Gear**. We have everything we need, _Pinyin_." He smirked as he said those last words.

Snake was wheeled to a cell where he was forcibly removed from his restraints and eventually left alone. "Meryl, did you get all that? What the hell!"

"We heard it all Snake. Now we know what they plan to do and where they'll strike. You just need to get out of there and stop them!"

"Meryl, what is the **Legacy**?" Snake remembered what the Major said.

"Snake, the Legacy is a slush fund set up around the end of the Second World War by the leaders of USA, USSR and China. At the time, it was worth one hundred billion dollars, which is well over a trillion with today's inflation. During the Cold War, it was believed a Chinese agent, **EVA**, had recovered the legacy for their use. However, this was not the case, she possessed a fake. And it looks like the Chinese have never forgotten."

"Okay, so that explains how mercenaries can afford an off shore production site for the production of Metal Gear. So how do I get out of a cell, when all my stuff has been taken?" He said, almost angrily, out of frustration.

"Ah I'll field that one" Otacon burst on, cutting Meryl off. "You see, the Nanomachines in your bloodstream will allow me to remotely access the circuitry, pretty cool huh?" Otacon sounded impressed with himself.

"Just hurry up and get me out of here" Snake growled, unimpressed by his situation.

"Gratitude for ya. You know, there was a time where Snake's busted outta their own cells" Otacon smiled to himself on that one.

Once the cell door was open, Snake made his way back to the interrogation room he was previously held in, and retrieved his gear. He was in the process of equipping his pistol with a silencer, when he heard footsteps at the door. The door slid open and without hesitation, Snake raised his gun, and caught a glimpse of the Major just before he fired…


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

"Meryl… what happened to agent **EVA**?" Snake felt like there was a lot to this mission background that he didn't know.

"Most of it is classified information Snake, the files are above my head. All I know is that she resurfaced 14 years ago during **Liquid Ocelot**'s insurrection and subsequently died. She was also known then as _Big Mama_ and was the surrogate mother of the **Les Enfants Terribles**project, which gave rise to Solid, Liquid and Solidus Snake from Big Boss' DNA. Some say that The Boss is the _spiritual_ mother of modern espionage, but perhaps EVAis the_ biological_ mother." Meryl responded poignantly.

Before Snake could reply, still many questions racing through his mind – he felt like he was being kept in the dark with many key pieces of information, and felt like Meryl knew more than she was letting on – a static burst rattled through his ear "Snake! Look out!" Otacon yelled.

"Well, _Pinyin_, you have made quite a name for yourself on my base… I must congratulate you for making it this far, but I have a feeling you do not know all there is to know about this mission you've been sent on…"

"And who are you…the General?" Snake hissed.

"Correct" He retorted, calmly.

Snake instinctively thought about his next moves. The General didn't look to be heavily armed, but he was still not to be underestimated. In any case, he needed information first.

"Snake, do you even know who **I** am?" Li asked him, almost mockingly.

"I don't care who you are, you're just another terrorist who plans to start a pointless war."

"Okay. Let me ask a different question. Do you even know who **you **are?"

"What are you talking about?" Snake wasn't expecting this. _What was he getting at?_

"Snake, my dear boy, you do not know your own heritage. How can you even expect to defeat me, when you do not know yourself?" Li was now positively smirking, on the brink of laughter. This was all a big game to him. Stealing nuclear weapons, holding the world to ransom, it meant nothing to him. Snake had to stop this man. "Snake, let me tell you who I am…."

Snake was worried where this was leading. He had read the mission briefing, he knew Li was a General in the Chinese People's Liberation Army. What else mattered? This was not a lesson in biology, thought Snake, this man is a terrorist.

"I am the biological son of agent **EVA**, Snake. She met my father during her time in Hanoi. I am the long lost half-brother to the last generation of Snakes"

"What the hell!?" Snake growled under his breath. _How could something like this have gone under the radar for so long?_

"Meryl, are you listening, did you know this?" Snake raged into his codec.

"Snake, the files are classified, this stuff is top secret, you didn't have clearan…."

"Damn!" Snake was angry at what he felt like a betrayal by his own side. But the worst was yet to come.

"_Pinyin…_ Snake… do you know who you are? We are practically family…"


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

"What!?" Snake was stunned. _How could he possibly be related to this man? _

"For you see, you are also connected to the lineage of Snakes…Did you think that codename a coincidence? My boy, have they told you nothing?"

Snake thought about this for a moment. He knew the codename structure of the new Foxhound unit was based loosely around the previous generations. He heard people kept talking of his similarities to people of old. But he did not know his parents. He was an orphan, a man who knew only solitude in his personal life and regimentation with the military. He had some questions of his own when he spoke to Commander Silverburgh next.

"I don't care where I come from; it doesn't change who I am and who you are. You're just someone that I need to stop." Snake was angry now, that this man was casting doubt in Snake's mind and questioning his loyalty. He had to remember whose side he was on. Snake raised his pistol from its holster and aimed it between the Li's eyes.

Li gave out a sadistic laugh, an obvious indication that he had no plans to come quietly. "_Pinyin…_Snake, do you really think you can stop this now? **Metal Gear** is ready to launch. There is nothing the Americans can offer to stop this process. A strike against North Korea will spark a retaliation and further worldwide reaction, and China will emerge victorious and the world's greatest superpower."

"You're sick! You're prepared to kill millions of people just to inflate your own economy?"

"Isn't that what an army really does Snake? I mean for example, how many men of mine have you killed today just to preserve America's dominance on the world stage?" The question took Snake back a little, but still, he had to remain firm and not fall for the mind games. This man was deluded and a terrorist.

"That's not the same!" The tensions were rising and Snake was now shouting. "I do what I do to prevent war, not start it!" And with that Snake's trigger finger was getting restless, he had to end this. His right index finger tightened on the trigger and began to squeeze. Li sensed the danger instinctively and dropped to the ground surprisingly quickly for a man of his age. The bullet flew harmlessly into the wall behind Li and before Snake could react again Li was already out the door immediately to his left and onto the struts. "_Damn!"_ Snake muttered under his breath as he gave chase, he hoped he would not live to regret that miss.

As Snake rounded the corner, a troop of Li's men were waiting for him and opened fire, forcing Snake to retreat to cover. This was covering fire to allow the General to escape, nothing more. If any bullets hit Snake, it was a bonus for them. Looks like this battle will have to wait Snake thought to himself.

Once the last stray bullets had died down, Snake brought up his codec. "Meryl, what the hell!?"

"Okay Snake, I know you have questions, I think now it's time you knew your past..."

"Snake, there's no easy way to say this, so I'm just going to come out with it…" She drew a deep breath "You're a clone." Meryl looked down after she said this, as if disappointed in herself for keeping this a secret for so long. Snake had his suspicions that he was different, but how is someone expected to react to news like that? This explains his lack of a proper upbringing, but this raised more questions than it answered. "Snake, your surrogate mother is a lady named **Rosemary **and for a while you were raised by her and a man named Jack who went by the codename of **Raiden, **but your genes are actually from a man also named John, and his codename was… **Naked Snake."**

"Big Boss?" Snake had read the files. He knew who Naked Snake was and who he had become.

"That's correct. When **Solid Snake**, one of his first clones passed away people were worried that a legacy of soldiers would die out and be lost to the world."

"People? You mean the Pentagon?" Snake snapped.

"Yes that's right. When they made plans to reform the Foxhound unit, they also commissioned another clone project from Naked Snake's original DNA to preserve those genes for the future. As David or, **Solid Snake** was the most successful of the Snake clones, your genes are modelled on his. You're a living time capsule, a legacy."

"Lucky me" Snake snapped sarcastically.

"Snake, I know this must be a lot to take at the moment and we can continue this conversation later. But right now **Li** must be stopped, you still have a mission here and the fate of the world depends on it"

"Meryl, I will continue this mission and my orders, but once this is over consider me done" Not waiting for an answer to this statement, Snake closed his codec off and took the first steps to finishing this, once and for all.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

Snake made his way to where Otacon had signalled was the energy signature strong enough to be housing Metal Gear. Snake's mind was racing, but he had to focus, too much was at stake now.

"Snake" The now familiar sound of static popped into his inner ear, it was Otacon's voice "I know it must be hard to hear…I…" he stumbled on his words.

"Save it. There's no time for feeling sorry" Snake didn't have any more time to entertain this.

"Right. Well the hangar they're holding Metal Gear in is just up ahead. Remember, take out the legs. The thrusters needed to launch the missile are housed in ZEUS' legs, if you take them out, it was also ground it for good. They're armour plated and are designed to withstand ballistics, but repeated direct hits from stinger missiles should see to that." Otacon was doing his best to stay calm. He couldn't believe they were all in this situation again. "Please Snake…"

"Don't worry. They won't launch that nuke." Snake reassured him, with a determined grit in his voice.

Snake entered the hangar which was deserted. The metal mech rose above him like a tower, the enormity of the task before him now dawning. He'd never seen anything like it. It literally took his breath for a moment. "Otacon…"

"Yeah Snake?"

"It's big"

Snake was trying to picture what this Metal Gear looked like in comparison to the previous versions that he'd seen in the mission briefings. It had RAY's legs, nimble and agile although they were adapted. Otacon had mentioned boosters, allowing the launch of the missile in place of the old railgun, and also to allow flight to this colossal beast. It still had a mouth and cockpit area for a single pilot, similar to REX. Looks like they've adapted and combined a lot from the previous models, Snake thought to himself. The thought was sickening, this is what they chose to spend the **Legacy **on, more machines to prolong and encourage war?

"Welcome _Pinyin!_ Welcome to your destiny dear nephew!" Li's voice boomed out across the hangar, high above Snake on the walkways leading to the cockpit.

"I'm no nephew of yours" Snake shouted, his voice hardly carrying across the massive space.

Li jumped into the cockpit before Snake could say or do anything else. "You will witness first-hand the new face of world power. Watch as the world bows down to the Metal Gear. I hear you Americans have a codename for it, ZEUS. Ahh yes. Poetic, sure. But we have a _different _name for it dear nephew. **Long** or simply, **Dragon. **The Dragon and the Snake. Now _that_ is much more fitting for a battle, don't you agree? Come Snake, come face the wrath of the Dragon!" With that speech concluded, the 'mouth' of the Dragon snapped shut and the giant machine whirred and shuddered to life.

After Snake found a place out of range of the mounted machine guns and rocket launchers, he readied his stinger missile and checked it was loaded properly. He took a breath to steady himself and dismissing the chaos surrounding him momentarily, he thought of Jessie back in Alaska. It gave him comfort and hope. Time seemed to stand still for a moment. After all this was done, he'd be back with her. Li and the Dragon interrupted his train of thought as some massive explosion went off nearby, knocking him back and the stinger launcher out of his hands. "SNAKE!" Li's voice boomed out of the cockpit, amplified by exterior speakers "I SEE YOU SNAKE. SNAKE'S DON'T BELONG HERE. YOU ARE FACING A DRAGON NOW. PREPARE TO RETURN TO THE EARTH!"

Li forced the Metal Gear to bring its foot down hard in an attempt to crush the life out of Snake. He reacted instinctively, diving out the way and towards the stinger launcher, although still out of reach. The ground all around Snake shook like a highly ranked earthquake. "YOU'RE FORGETTING ONE IMPORTANT POINT LI…" Snake shouted back in defiance "I'M NOT JUST A SNAKE, I'M ALSO A **FOX**! AND YOU DON'T CORNER A FOX!" And with that he rolled whilst diving through the air to grab the launcher, span, raised and fired all in one swift motion.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

The beast had crumbled under its own weight and Snake eventually found Li's mangled body clinging to life in the wreckage and flames. "It's over Li, you're finished." His body was twisted and warped, with no way of return. Snake breathed a sigh of relied.

Li was clearly struggling, gasping at the air that was seemingly fleeing him. He stifled a laugh "H-h-huh-ha-huh *cough* It…is not…the year…of the d-dragon…but it…is not…snake e… *cough* either".

"No Li, it is the year of the Hound."

Li tried to laugh, but blood sputtered out of his mouth, his lungs were clearly filling up. He attempted to raise the side arm which was lying in his hand, which momentarily alarmed Snake. _How could he be so careless, even now? _But thankfully the last gasp of life escaped the former General, his arm slumped back down and his head rolled to the side.

Snake snapped his Codec back into action whilst kicking away the pistol and checking the man's pulse "Meryl…it's over. Li's dead and _ZEUS _is destroyed."

He heard her sigh in his ear "…Well done Snake…and thank you"

"Requesting Evac, at the agreed RVP"

"A bird is being scrambled now…use the Fulton Recovery System as discussed, it's the easiest way to get you back in on-the-move. The old ways are often the best…"

"Meryl, I mean what I said earlier. I'm done here. I'll leave it to you and the government to clear up this mess." Snake insisted.

"I…see. Snake…please try to understand…it wasn't easy for me to keep it from you for this long" Meryl sounded deep with regret. She raised her tone once more "We have to try and track down Colonel **Le**, he was the only man that is unaccounted for. Where will you go from here Sna…I mean, John?"

"To live my life" Snake said with a slight grin. After a moment he snapped his Codec off, and turned his back on the carnage of his past, and began to look to the future. _Where would he go from here? _It was a good question. Maybe race some sled dogs back home, who knew.


	13. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

"Yes brother…I managed to escape the facility before the _Dragon_ was destroyed…

No brother, the _Snake _did not lay eyes on me. No doubt the US authorities will now be hunting the missing **Colonel**…no, **Li **did not know my true identity.

Yes…it was a successful mission; we have assessed the battle data and will proceed accordingly...

No, he does not know of our heritage…

He does not know we are **Cain **and **Abel**, the twin sons of **Adamska**…"

**Metal Gear: Son of Snake**

**Thanks for reading**


End file.
